Morrow Mountain State Park: Jewel of Lake Tillery

by Joyce Deaton

Debbie Thorpe feels lucky to have her job selling real estate around Lake Tillery. The best days are those when, about once a month, she takes a sandwich to the picnic area at the summit of Morrow Mountain. “I enjoy just sitting there looking out over the countryside and the lake,” she says. “It's such a beautiful view.”

It was Morrow Mountain State Park, in fact, that brought Thorpe to the area. “I used to camp and canoe in the park, and I’d paddle from the Uwharrie River into Lake Tillery,” she says. “I thought it was such a pretty place that eventually I moved here.”

Thorpe feels the park adds great value to real estate around Lake Tillery. Home sites on the Montgomery County side near the northern tip of the lake enjoy the unspoiled view of parklands, as well as a large plot of private land that has been donated for conservation by the Smith family. “This makes the areas around Carolina Forest and Holiday Shores especially beautiful. It’s very soothing to sit on the shoreline and not see other houses and boathouses,” she says. “It's the only place on the lake that's sure not to change.”

Wherever they settle on the lake, many Stanly and Montgomery County residents discover that the park is a little-known treasure. It’s pleasantly uncrowded most days and offers a surprising variety of delights.

Nestled in the ancient Uwharries, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the eastern United States, the park was first developed in the 1930s. Local citizens convinced the state to preserve the area’s natural beauty, and they donated much of the land that now protects four major peaks - Sugarloaf, Hattaway, Fall and Morrow Mountain, the highest at 936 feet.

Work crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration built many of the beautifully rustic stone structures in the park from 1937 to 1942, and the state added more facilities during the next decade. Today the park covers 4,742 acres.

The waters of Lake Tillery are central to the lure of the park. There’s a boat ramp, and rowboats, paddleboats and canoes are available for rent at the boathouse. Fishing from the pier or the riverbanks can yield a fine catch of largemouth, striped and white bass, crappie, perch, bluegill and catfish. An ample swimming pool is flanked by a stone bathhouse with restrooms, changing rooms, showers and snacks.

For nature lovers, the park is a rich and varied venue. A short, self-guided nature trail gives an overview, and serious hikers can choose from more than 15 miles of trails that wind through the woods and up the mountains. The view from the summit of Morrow Mountain will make you want to stay. For those who want to bring their horses, 16 miles of bridle trails beckon.

Park rangers regularly host educational and interpretive programs about the park’s flora, fauna and fun. Recent activities included off-trail guided hikes, fishing lessons, astronomy programs and kite workshops. The park’s exhibit hall features information about Native American residents, plant and animal communities, early European explorers, and rocks and minerals. Visitors can tour the reconstructed 1870 homestead of Dr. Francis Kron, a native of Prussia who was the first physician in the Carolina piedmont. A noted horticulturist, Kron practiced medicine well into his 80s and was also involved in education.

Two picnic areas provide scenic destinations for a day trip, or if you want to stay longer, there’s civilized camping for tents and RVs in the family campground and primitive camping for backpackers in the woods. Comfortable two-bedroom cabins are available for those who'd rather sleep indoors.

Thorpe likes to make sure her homebuyers know about Morrow Mountain. “Just the other day I took a client up there who’'s been here about a year. She had company coming in and was glad to find out what all there is to do in the park,” she says. “There’s something up there for everybody.”